A Life To Live Together
by Hardman 5509
Summary: Jessica and Fran Albert are cops in a dark city filled with dread. Life is hard, but you must remember, you must push through. Rated T for later scenes. Flames are accepted.
1. Morning

The morning light pierced through the apartment's window, and awakening the young red-haired lady from her slumber. She yawned, a long and nearly painful one. She wasn't a morning person, and last night didn't help much. But she had work to do. She moved to the bedside, where her slippers laid. She put them on…

"Hold it." A hand from the other side of the bed reached from under the covers to grasp the red-haired girl's. "What's for breakfast?"

"Eggs, Fran." The red-haired girl said, a faint smile appearing on her face. "Like every morning."

"Jessica…" Fran groaned from under the sheets. Her long, rabbit ears popped out.

"Sorry, hon." Jessica got up, and moved to the kitchen. "That's all we can afford until the next paycheck."

"Which is…" Fran finally got the covers off her.

"…tomorrow, hon. We will be dining on some roasted chicken." Jessica got to work cracking eggs and reading the stove. "But first….scrambled or sunny-side?"

"Sunny-side, as always." Fran finally fell out of bed, and rolled to the closet.

"Oh, hon." Jessica had looked back to watch her beloved trying to reach her uniform.

Oddly enough, Jessica had finished making the eggs at the same time as Fran got her uniform on. She immediately dived into her sunny-side egg, quickly devouring it. Jessica took time eating her egg.

"Hon, you have a hour and thirteen minutes." Jessica pointed to the clock with her fork.

"I'm meeting Captain Ragnar to talk about dealing with some gangs. I best be on time." Fran finished her eggs, and grabbed her hat.

"Wait for me!" Jessica downed her eggs and grabbed her backpack. "I'll just change at the station."

"Not the first time you walked in dressed in your pajamas." Fran said, placing her blue cap on, and grabbing the car keys. "Good thing you dressed after…last night." She adjusted her blue tie before opening the door. "Meet you at the car!" She blew a kiss before closing the door.

Jessica sighed. Last night was the few moments they shared together in the past year. The increasing criminal activity worked both to the bone. Fran hit the streets as much as she could to keep them clean, and Jessica typed as fast she could to keep the bureaucrats at bay with paperwork. It was honest (Yet hard.) work. It paid well. (When it did.) And they got to see each other during work. (Only after a bust, it didn't last long.)

To drive the point further home, Jessica's eyes traveled to the small antique table that had the important pictures of their married life. There were only four, and the table could hold more. The only on the far left showed them at a bar, holding each other close, quite drunk. Yeah, definitely the most casual photo. The next one showed them at Gradation at the Police Academy, dressed in the same blue uniforms. The third one displayed them when Jessica purposed on the bridge in the park, caught on camera by Jessica's friend, Angelo. And the fourth one…well…the obvious one.

The wedding photo was by far the best photo. The pose was basic, Jessica the first bride sitting down, with Fran the second bride standing up, holding hands. But the expressions they had were genuine. No doubts in their minds, they loved each other. Jessica wore a white, lacey gown, and Fran a black one. The silver, jeweled frame was donated by Jessica's mother, the last connection to Jessica's far away family.

But that was two years ago. Their jobs required more hours than ever, and when they did some time together, it was all too brief.

Jessica placed a hand to her chest, sighing. "Oh, Fran. I still love you."

"I do too." Jessica jumped a little, hearing her beloved behind her. Fran kissed her on the cheek. "Come on. We'll be late."

"…all right." Jessica said, sounding defeated.

"Cheer up." Fran hugged Jessica. "We'll get through this. One day, the rain will stop, the clouds will vanish and the sun will come out. And then we'll dance together in the beams of the sun."

"You said that during college, after we fought off those bullies." A faint smile appeared on Jessica's face.

"Funny you mentioned that. I encountered one of our old friends at a drug deal gone bad."

"Hehe." Jessica giggled.

"All right, we have a job to do." Fran wrapped her arm around Jessica's waist, and Jessica did the same. "We'll have lunch together, okay? What would you like?"

"Something simple. I would like to go to the White Crow again."

"Ah. I see you have a craving for a good burger."

"Yeah, I thought about it yesterday."

Jessica closed the door behind her, and Fran locked the door.

That ends our story…for now…


	2. Party

"I was framed, I tell ya! FRAMED!"

"We have you on camera holding the Beretta, shooting the clerk after you found out they didn't have peanuts, and then slapped around the woman that was helping you."

"Framed! They got someone who looks like me!"

"Take him away."

"NOOOOOO…"

"Thanks, Barrett."

"No problem."

Fran sighed. The criminals weren't getting better, but dumber. It could also explain the recent rise of crime. Dumb people thinking they could what they want and get away with it. Well, thanks to them, they made her life suck!

"Have some coffee." Fran looked up, and looked into the smiling face of Kiryl. "You deserve it."

"Thanks. How's Alena?" Fran took a sip. Mmm…cinnamon…

"Doing great! How's Jessie?"

"A little annoyed by the workload, but fine." Fran finished her coffee and placed it to the side. "Leave it there. I'll refill it later. I got somewhere to be in the next hour."

"Okay. Gotta to go." He dashed off, carrying the rest of the coffee cups to the others.

Fran looked at her desk. She needed to do some cleaning, but her appointment was far too important. She still had to do five cases of paperwork, but four of them could be done within the month. The fifth one? The murder of John Temple needed to finished today. The appointment wouldn't take long, and Jessica was always willing to help. She decided to get started on the murder file; fill out the simple stuff and save the rest for later.

She didn't get far, as her watch went off. Time to go.

"Where're you going?" Asked Sergeant Barrett.

"I'm meeting a informant." Fran grabbed a paper bag filled with some clothes and headed towards the parking lot. "If things go well, I think we could look forward to a vacation."

"But you're not going to tell me or anyone else any details until the end."

"I don't want to take the chance. Sorry."

* * *

><p>The Land of Honey sounded like a fruity place for a club, but make no mistake, it was wild! It had the quality of a Hollywoodian nightclub, but it lasted all day, and the party never died. Some guy claimed to have been partying for a entire week, but due to the building being four-stories tall, and as wide as two baseball fields, no one could confirm or disapprove the record.<p>

Fran had switched to jeans, purple shirt with sequins, and a pair of purple high-heels.

In short, she looked like a undercover cop undercover.

And she talked to as such.

"I'm here to see Ms. Valentine." Fran said to a big burly guy wearing a suit a size too small. The guy looked at Fran, observing her all-too obvious disguise. "I'm Fran Albert?" Do you have a list…or something?"

"Just checking." The guy stepped away from the golden/velvet door. "Ms. Valentine is expecting you."

When Fran stepped on the mat that read, 'Bring Your Desires In' (With overly elaborate pink font.) , the door opened on it's own. Fran sighed.

"How much, Ivy?" Fran asked.

"Not much." Fran walked into the Owner's Office, a booth overlooking the fourth floor dance floor. The booth was over-the-top lavish. White (fake) fur covered most of the furniture; making it weird considering the place could double as a bedroom. The only other two colors were black and purple. Even the only other two people in the room were wearing white, purple, and black. One was the club owner, Ivy Valentine, in her 20s purple gown, and the other...Fran never saw the maid in her life.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce you to my servant. Her name is Iroha." Iroha bowed. She was a pretty young Japanese woman, with raven black hair, a polar opposite to Ivy's. "You may leave us, now." Iroha took a silver tray decorated with empty wine glasses and left the room, without a sound. Ivy waved her hand to a empty purple plush chair, inviting her to sit down.

"Thank you." Fran sat down, retrieving a notepad from her back pocket. "Skip the chit-chat and let's get to business."

"Darn. We just got in some Grandose." She took a sip of the bubbling red/black liquid and placed the glass down on the glass table, one of the three things NOT dressed in fur.

"So you have some info of Don Wallace?" Fran asked completely serious.

"Did you know that a single bottle of Grandose costs a entire night of customers?" Ivy said completely joking.

"Please. Don Wallace."

"Ah, Don…Wallace." Ivy scratched her chin. "Ah, yes! A good customer. A rude, violent, ugly customer, but still a good customer. He pays well. In fact, the Grandose…"

"Be quiet."

"Sorry. All right, Don Wallace runs the city."

"Pardon?"

"He…runs…the…city. I can repeat again if you want." Instead of a verbal reply, Ivy got a glare. Ivy continued. "He got the mayor he liked into office. By like, I mean he was paid. Remember what happened to Robinson? Nothing, right? He lost by votes. Not by death, or withdrawn. No, according to the voters, they preferred Grant. And Grant is more than happy to help his 'campaign manager.' You wouldn't see him here, but Wallace's men are great story tellers after a bottle."

"So as far as you know, all you have are some drunken ramblings."

"I have my own…gang. Rather, my informants. They checked, and Wallace and Grant have been seen together."

"Ivy, I better not run into your gang during patrol."

"I make sure to drive the point home that they don't do crimes. Or…Mama spank." Ivy imitated such a action. Fran quickly recollected the various rumors about Ivy. If those could be trusted…sounds right. Fran wrote herself a note about Ivy's gang, and flipped over to a new, blank page. "So they mayor works with Wallace. Anyone else with a important position?"

"Let's see…" Ivy got up and walked over to the desk, the second thing not covered in fur. She opened the wide drawer and retrieved a dollar-store blue notebook, and handed it to Fran. "Consider that a early birthday gift. That's everyone that the Don has worked with. Everyone from judges, cops, C., store managers…if their names are in the book, they're good friends with the Don…or rather, the ungrateful ones."

Fran quickly flipped through the book. Dear god…she worked with, knew, and/or helped some of these people. Dan Garret; he ran the grocery store two blocks down from the apartment. Melissa Shopper; didn't Jessica mention her name once? Like during a talk about how hard work was? Hunter Mesa; damn. A judge she played with cards with.

It got worse.

Victor…Marrow…Westland.

He worked one desk over on the right of Jessica.

Nice guy. Didn't even flirt with Jessica. Invited the couple over for a steak one night. Had a nice house. All that…he got all that…by working with Don Wallace.

Fran had a hard time trying to keep a good process of thought. The one saving grace was that no one else close to her or Jessica was on the list. Angelo, a Father of a church, and Balthier, a captain of a constantly traveling trading ship, were the names that Fran expected.

"Disturbing, isn't it?" The usual lustful tone of Ivy's voice turned serious. "You know some of those people listed, right? The ones you exchange pleasant conservations with nearly everyday? Perhaps…you even spent time in their homes? Maybe you dated one of them before your marriage?" Ivy pointed to the silver band with a small diamond that laid on Fran's finger. "Some of my childhood friends are on this list. They're…nice friends."

Fran closed the notebook. The Captain had to see this. Things were going to get ugly…wait…Ivy said something earlier.

"Ivy." Fran asked, regaining some composure.

"Yes, dear? More questions?"

"One more. I think…this is enough."

"Good. That's all I know about the Don. He walks in, get the VIP booth, orders, and leaves."

"…how did you know about my birthday?"

Ivy smiled. "I don't."

"You said, early. My birthday is ten days from now. How did you know it didn't happen already?"

Ivy's smile didn't fade. "You're right. I know when your birthday is. I will send you a more apporiate gift that day. Wine or jewelry?"

"How much more do you know?"

"Hmm…" Ivy said, mockilly. "Ah. Everything."

Fran sunk lower into her seat.

"When you came to me, asking for information, I needed to do a…background check. Makes sense, right? When you get a informant, you do a check. So why not the informant do the same? I know your birth date, where you've been in the last fifteen years, your school records, friends and family…speaking of family…"

"No." Fran stood up. "Leave Jessica out of this."

"Why?" Ivy shrugged her shoulders. "She's a cop too. Besides, once you turn that notebook in, she's going to get involved. Considering the power of the people listed, you and your beautiful wife will have to go into hiding…with me, the original owner of the notebook. Soon, we'll be family."

Fran didn't need to think twice. She needed to turn the book in, but once that happened, everything that Ivy said would happen. She didn't trust Ivy, for very good reasons. She came into town a couple years ago, and set up the club. Some of the rumors were about her being a abusive boss, and a sexual deviant. Very little was known about her, even to the police. She only got cleared as a informant because she had no criminal record, and a cop from her old town gave her a glowing report.

"…I need to get this to safe hands." Fran said, walking over to the door.

"Yes. Hurry. Don't stop for anything." Ivy snapped her fingers. The door opened, and Iroha stepped in, carrying a brown paper bag. "Here. A ham sandwich, a bag of pretzels, a cheese stick, a can of Coke, and a brownie. Don't eat while driving, play attention to signs, and have fun!" Ivy giggled as a nonchalant Fran took her bagged lunch from a smiling Iroha and ran out the door.

"Madam?" Iroha asked, as she closed the door behind her.

"Yes, my little eavesdrop?" Ivy took her glass, and finished the rest of her wine.

"What's going to happen to you?"

Ivy smiled. "Nothing. I promise you."

"What about her?"

Ivy smile dropped. "She's fine…but Jessica…mmm…" Ivy placed the empty glass on the table again. "…nah. Fran will protect her. No need to worry."

"All right." Iroha took the glass, and left.

Once she left, Ivy went back to the desk, and opened the middle drawer again. She pulled out a second notebook, this one having papers and pictures stuffed in. She flipped through it, looking for something.

Around the forty-seven page, she found it. She took a deep breath, and exhaled. Okay, things were looking up.

But her eyes took notice of something else. A picture that fell out when she flipped to the page. Upon picking it up, she smiled.

They do make a lovely couple.


	3. Travel

Jessica fidgeted in her seat. It didn't help that the lady next to her was a well-known sex fiend, currently adding makeup, despite the rocky road they're traveling along.

She looked to her wife, who had fallen asleep. Only Fran could sleep in conditions like this. She looked to the other travelers. There's that maid girl that came into the bus with Ivy and two other guys, (They both wore black business suits, which Fran deduced that they probably worked behind the scenes.) looking scared. Can't blame her. Even Jessica, despite her police training, felt a tinge of fear. The only reason that she didn't lose it was Fran.

With the notebook safely delivered, Captain Auron immediately had everyone connected to the notebook leave town in unmarked buses (School buses.) to a safe house in a much larger city. Fran, Jessica, Ivy, Iroha, and the two Dead-Meats Accountants left in the first bus, getting only a short fifteen minutes to pack the necessary. The second bus, containing everyone in Ivy's gang, left five minutes later.

"Why do they get a longer time to pack?" Asked a annoyed Ivy.

"We're more important." Fran replied, slinging her travel bag across her shoulder.

That kept Ivy quiet, and somewhat happy.

Jessica reached into her bag, and pulled out her draw-pad and a pencil. She flipped through the pad, skipping past the drawings of co-workers, old friends, and…well, Fran. You don't need me to tell you what the Fran pics entailed.

But Jessica wasn't in the mood to draw anything sexy. She went to work creating the outline for a male face.

Syl Wallace. Don Wallace. Actual ruler of the city.

The man who declared war on the couple.

Jessica collapsed to the floor upon learning the truth about Victor. He bought her lunch that day, her favorite, a turkey sandwich with Swiss cheese, lettuce, and on rye bread. She didn't have a chance to eat it though; major backlog. She threw it away the instant she learned the truth.

Victor disappeared before being arrested. Evidence showed he was digging in Jessica and Fran's trashcans.

"You're leaving in the next hour." Auron said, after investigating Victor's desk, finding only a paperclip. "Wallace is going to place a bounty on your heads. You won't last a minute on the streets."

"Okay." Fran replied. "You should get Ivy Valentine and her crew. They created the notebook."

"If Syl does have these connections in the book, it's going to be hard to leave town. Syl has connections to some security companies, so we're going to need some time to develop a safe route that goes around the areas not monitored by Syl."

Fran and Jessica remained silent. The rocks gathered speed going down the hill.

Jessica finished the outline, and got to work adding the details. Syl was hardly seen in public, given his image. Ivy was the one of the few living people to actually see his face, but he always wore some sort of a golden mask. It hid his eyes and his cheeks, removing eye color and facial structure from the police description. Yet, his medium-long black hair was highly visible, as if an insult to the police. Jessica decided to add in the missing details.

She got violent.

He was ruining her married life. Overloading Fran and her with work. His crimes created a city-wide curfew, preventing the couple from enjoying the night life. Some of their friends had left town for safety. Their favorite places were closing down because of him; either by the management leaving or the place going up in smoke. And now his invisible hands were pushing them away from their home.

That led to a thought. If Syl had connections, how safe is the safe house? Were they driving to a trap? Speaking of driving, were they safe on the bus? Could the police driver be one of Syl's inside men?

"Jessica." The red haired woman looked up from her pad to see Fran sit next to her. "My neck hurts. Can I rest on your shoulder?"

"Sure, dear." Fran smiled, and her warm head landed softly on Jessica's right shoulder. "Mmn…whacha doing?" Fran asked.

"Nothing." Jessica scribbled some more.

"Let me see…"

"I'm not done." Jessica wasn't in the mood. Thinking of the Don just angered her.

Fran lifted her head from the shoulder. Jessica didn't stop, not noticing the removal of her wife's head. She continued to draw, getting more violent with her strikes against the paper.

Wallace.

WALLACE.

WALLACE!

"Jessica!" Fran whispered sharply into Jessica's ear, as to not involve the others. Jessica immediately stopped drawing. This brief moment allowed Fran to snatch the pad and look at the result.

A narrow-face man with shaggy medium black hair, with a evil facial structure.

"Syl." Fran said, emotionless.

"…yeah." Jessica rubbed her arm.

Fran looked at the picture more closely. She folded it twice, and placed it in her pocket. "You were always a good artist."

"Thanks."

"…"

"…"

The two went quiet. Ivy was talking to the two Dead-Meats. Iroha just stared at Ivy. The police driver made a left turn.

"I'm sorry." Jessica said meekly.

"For what?" Fran asked.

"For making you worried." Jessica avoided looking at Fran.

"I'm not."

"…I kinda lost it." Fran sighed, and drew Jessica into a hug. Jessica took a moment before returning the embrace. "I'm not used to stuff like this."

"It takes time." Fran said softly. "It took me time to get used to stuff like this. I'll help. Just relax. We're fine."

The two held each other for the rest of the ride.


	4. Life

Okay, so things weren't so bad as Jessica thought they would be.

For starters, she and Fran were given their own motel room, while Iroha and Ivy shared a second, and the Dead-Meats had the third. The rooms at least reached three star quality. As for Ivy's gang, they got sent to prison for invasion of privacy and thievery. Still, the prison was safe, and the worst criminal there was a guy who stole a million bucks.

The town of Bailey was a nice, portside town, just fifty miles down from their city. The police were generally friendly, save for some who didn't the share the same views as Fran and Jessica. The shops offered many different things than the ones back home; the police badge even got them some free things! The townsfolk were a little more open to the two's relationship than the ones back home. And for the first time in years, the two could enjoy the beach again.

Basically, it was a paid vacation. With…an over powerful mob boss after them.

Police protection was mild. Nobody save for top brass knew about the buses, so they didn't need a 24/7 watch. Two cops would have a night shift watching the motel, and they would check in with the police down at the station every four hours. Other than that, they were given free reign.

Four days in, and the news were at least…good. Most of Wallace's gang were arrested, but the big names in the notebook either vanished, or were playing hard ball. Victor still hadn't been found, but the police back home were keeping a eye on all exits, making sure that he didn't leave. As for Wallace himself…nothing. Guy vanished. He could be planning revenge, or just hiding until the thing blows over. Jessica grasped her issued revolver a bit more tightly as she placed it in her purse.

She and Fran decided today they would split up and meet up at the station. Fran went over west, so Jessica headed east.

A hour later, with two books and a Minestrone soup heavier, Jessica looked at her watch, realizing that she had a hour left to get to the station and check in. Time for one more stop, but where…

Oh.

Jessica stopped at the front of a white building. The name, written in bold Krungthep, read: '**A New Life**' Jessica had seen the same building back home.

Her stomach churned. The soup wasn't the problem. Jessica started to shake.

But she still went inside.

The place was white and grey all over. Same design it was back home. Fran always said it was cheesy, but at least the chair that Jessica sat down was comfy.

Jessica looked around. All kinds of couple were here, talking to others and the staff, looking at pamphlets, or just killing time. Men and woman couples, woman and woman couples, and man and man couples.

A few years ago, a scientist discovered a way for a gay couple to have a child together, literally. They would donate DNA together; Lesbian couples would have to decide who would carry the fetus, gay men would get a special tank that acts like a womb. Normal couples that couldn't conceive could take either route.

But, of course, it was expensive.

Jessica and Fran's paychecks weren't enough. Unless they saved up for an entire year, which it wouldn't work, given that they needed food, and pay taxes. They did start a collection, and after a year and a half, they reached a 1/3 needed.

Jessica wanted a child. She didn't want to spend her life behind a desk. She wanted to raise a child. She wanted to live that experience.

Fran didn't know, but Jessica bought a lottery ticket every week, and a scratch card everyday, in chance of winning the jackpot. Five bucks for the ticket, and a dollar for the card. She came close by two numbers, and the most she won from the scratch cards were twenty bucks, which quickly vanished.

Jessica looked over to a lesbian couple, whom were reading a pamphlet together. One woman had long, light-blonde, curvy hair, and stood taller than her partner. She seemed to be a athlete, given her build and her casual clothes; a grey hoodie, blue jeans, and running shoes. Her partner was the opposite, wearing a light-orange business suit, and definitely spent some time in a spa recently. Her long mint-blue straight hair definitely stood out, but hey, Jessica married a bunny.

Don't tell Fran that.

Jessica grabbed a pamphlet. She read the exact thing back home, down to the point of being able to read the first part from her mind. She opened it with nervous fingers, and read it over.

Okay…it's cheaper here? Much cheaper. Hell, with the money they saved up, they were half-way there.

…maybe they should move here. The police department was lacking some serious force, and a transfer wouldn't take long. But it's not like they need it, the town was fairly peaceful, so they wouldn't be spending the entire day working. It made Jessica wonder why didn't move here to begin with. The town only had one hotel, but there were some small houses that Jessica was fairly sure they could afford it.

Of course, they first had to deal with Wallace.

She got up to leave, taking the pamphlet with her. As she went to the door, she bumped into someone wearing a thick black petticoat and a black flatcap.

"Sorry."

"You should be." The man (Given by his voice.) said, before sitting down.

Jessica got one quick look at the man.

He had a strange mask on.


End file.
